King's College London is joining with the London Centre for Nanotechnology to use the power of nanotechnology to confront global healthcare, energy and environmental challenges.
King's has joined two of the capital’s leading universities, UCL and Imperial College London, as partners in the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), a pioneering research centre set up in 2003.
Together the three universities will build on the work the Centre has already done to harness the power of materials a 1000 times smaller than a width of human hair.
Innovations already developed by the Centre include a mobile phone-connected tool that can detect HIV in a fraction of the time it currently takes, and a new generation of systems designed to provide an early-warnings of disease outbreaks.
King’s will bring multi-disciplinary expertise and cutting-edge equipment to the partnership, especially in the areas of high-resolution optical imaging, nanobiology and nanophotonics. Its world-leading scientists will complement UCL and Imperial’s existing expertise across medicine, materials, chemistry, physics, electrical and electronic engineering, and earth sciences.
Their involvement will also increase the opportunities for the development of new areas of research, improve the opportunities for partnership working and accelerate the development of nano-based technologies.
Speaking about the partnership, Professor Anatoly Zayats from the Department of Physics at King’s College London said: ‘We are delighted to be adding the world-leading expertise of King’s College London to the LCN.
‘The combination of facilities and expertise in complimentary fields will allow the LCN to address a range of new challenges, which would not be possible for any one institution.
‘King’s, UCL and Imperial will now be able to plan and develop new facilities and capabilities to promote multidisciplinary research and develop new partnerships with industry.
‘This partnership will help ensure that London continues to set the pace in this incredibly exciting area of research.’
Professor Andrew Fisher, Director of the London Centre of Nanotechnology said: "We were very impressed at the great fit between the facilities, and the research topics being pursued at King’s with those in the LCN. Extending the collaboration across London will bring new opportunities and allow the LCN to have still greater impact.”
Professor Milo Shaffer, co-Director of the London Centre for Nanotechnology, from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London 'We are delighted to welcome King’s to the LCN, expanding the critical mass of researchers, linked together in London.
‘The integration of nanoscience and nanotechnology into complete systems will contribute to many major challenges facing the world, ranging from accelerated computing, to clean energy, safe water, and targeted healthcare.’
A celebratory launch event was recently held at the Great Hall in KCL's Strand campus to mark KCL joining the LCN. It featured an exciting talk from Professor Stuart Parkin from the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics which crossed the boundaries between solid-state physics, engineering and biology. The Deputy Mayor of London for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, and the Executive Chair from the EPSRC, Professor Phillip Nelson, also gave insightful presentations as did some other LCN researchers.
Professor Phil Nelson said: "To get a coherent strategy for using high quality leading edge equipment in one city has got to be the right idea, so huge congratulations on getting this together, it’s just the right thing to do and I really hope the LCN will go from strength to strength."
The President and Principal of King’s College London, Professor Ed Byrne, commented: 'This event is an exciting occasion for KCL and London, when we do things well together we are so powerful on the world stage.
'Creativity will bring great new ideas, great new thoughts and great new collaborative science to the LCN.'
The Deputy Mayor of London for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, said: "London has the world’s leading cluster of teaching, research and innovation excellence. No other city in the world brings together the quality and range of highly ranker institutions. The LCN brings together three of the world’s best universities making London a global research powerhouse in Nanotechnology."
Links:-
Professor Andrew Fisher's academic profile
Professor Anatoly Zayats' academic profile
Professor Milo Shaffer's academic profile
Image:-
Nathan Clarke (@NClarkephoto)